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20 Ranked Programs Heading To John McNichols Invitational For A Championship Course Preview

20 Ranked Programs Heading To John McNichols Invitational For A Championship Course Preview

The Northern Arizona women and the BYU men are two of 20 ranked programs getting a course preview ahead of the NCAA Cross Country National Championships.

Sep 17, 2026 by Maxx Bradley
20 Ranked Programs Heading To John McNichols Invitational For A Championship Course Preview

For the 14th time since the turn of the century, the NCAA Cross Country National Championships are heading to Terre Haute, Indiana, and its historic LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course.

Like many championship courses, LaVern Gibson is hosting a number of meets leading up to the big dance after a few weeks of early-season racing, including the first of three meets, the John McNichols Invitational.

Although some coaches are taking their squads up North to the 40th annual Roy Griak Invitational, 20 programs ranked in the first edition of the FloTrack 2026 College XC Rankings are set to toe the line in what is forecasted to be a hot and rainy Saturday.

In total, seven ranked women's squads are en route to Terre Haute, with three of those coming in with a top-10 ranking next to their name, as No. 4 Northern Arizona, No. 6 West Virginia, and No. 8 Stanford are all making the trip for a chance to preview the championship course.

While any of these three teams could claim the team title this weekend, Jared Cornfield's Lumberjacks look to be the favorites, even though we won't see eighth-ranked runner Carmen Cernjul make her season debut.

However, the 'Jacks are still bringing in Hayley Burns, Ava Mitchell, and Keira Moore, who, combined with the team's depth and talent, can lead the team to a statement win before the calendar even hits October.

Similar to NAU, West Virginia will be without their frontrunner on Saturday, as 2025 12th-place finisher Joy Naukot is not entered for the Mountaineers. Nonetheless, the Big 12 contenders are still a potent bunch, with Mercy Kinyanjui and Naomi Kemboi leading the charge this weekend. The pair rank No. 40 and No. 49 in the preseason individual rankings, but don't be surprised if they both move into the top 40 after this weekend.

All the way from Palo Alto is a team hungry to prove their worth, as No. 22 Amy Bunnage and No. 28 Sophia Kennedy get ready to lead eighth-ranked Stanford to the team title.

The Cardinal are also looking forward to debuts from a few of their stellar freshmen, including Chiara Dailey, Jaelyn Williams, and Amaya Bharadwaj.

Other ranked programs joining this trio include No. 14 Utah, No. 18 Washington, No. 22 Florida, and No. 29 Boston College.

The Gators are set to be led by three-time All-American Judy Chepkoech, who comes in at No. 9 in FloTrack's rankings, making her the top-ranked runner in the field.

The men's entry list is somehow even more loaded with national contenders and the best of the best, including No. 3 BYU, who isn't even two years removed from winning their last national title, and the top-ranked runner in FloTrack's preseason rankings, Louisville's Elsingi Kipruto.

The Cougars are going to answer a lot of questions this weekend, but personally, I'm most excited for the collegiate debut of Danny Simmons, the 13:25 5,000m runner (in high school, by the way) who returned from his two-year mission this summer.

However, a lot of eyes will probably be on Ed Eyestone's top dog, sophomore Tayvon Kitchen, who heads into his second year in Provo ranked No. 14 in the nation. Kitchen opened his season at the UVU Collegiate XC Invite earlier this month, where he won the three-mile race in 13:21, crossing 30 seconds before the rest of the field came in.

While a win is definitely a possibility for Kitchen, the competition this weekend will be a mixture of All-Americans and some of the best distance runners across the NCAA.

The previously mentioned Kipruto finished 39th at the NCAA Championships a year ago, but a track campaign that saw him run 13:15 for 5,000m, 27:29 for 10,000m, and earn three top-four finishes at the NCAA Championships makes him arguably the top man to beat, especially with Habtom Samuel off to the professional circuit.

Washington State's Solomon Kipchoge and Florida's Kelvin Cheruiyot are each going to be right up there with Kipruto, with the former being the reigning third-place finisher from last year's championships. Kipchoge finished runner-up in his season debut at the WSU Cougar Classic XC Extravaganza behind teammate Evans Kurui (No. 14), suggesting that this two-headed monster might have some tactics up their sleeve.

While BYU is the lone program ranked inside the top 10, No. 11 Eastern Kentucky, No. 12 Florida, No. 13 Washington State, No. 15 Louisville, and No. 18 Michigan State are looking for a fight, as nearly half of the top-30 teams in the nation will be in Terre Haute this Saturday.

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